SciArts Festival of New Plays
LSU School of Theatre and LSU College of Science
invites submissions for consideration for the inaugural season of our reading series
exploring the intersection of art and science. Up to three selected scripts will receive
readings at LSU and a $1000.00 SciArts at LSU Playwriting Prize.
When To Submit: Submissions are now open with a deadline of November 30, 2018.
Dates of the Festival: April 3-6, 2019
Please read all guidelines below before submitting.
How To Submit
Playwrights should submit two PDF documents:
o Script cover page with name and contact information and a cover letter
with a brief description of the play and how it fits the definition of a
"science play".
o Script with no playwright information but a complete cast list withbrief
character descriptions.
Email your script to sciartsconference@gmail.com
What We're Looking For:
SciArts Festival of New Plays will be part of a conference that is interested in new work
that explores the intersection of science and art. Plays should have significant science
related content as well as being artistically and theatrically engaging. New perspectives
on the intersection of art and science are encouraged, but we are not interested in
science fiction or medical dramas. Successful submissions will be viable theatrically
with science content, characters and themes that are plausible and integral to the action
of the play
Formatting Requirements:
Legible, 10-12 point font in a standard professional play format.
This is a BLIND submission process. Please remove author’s name and contact
information from the script. DIGITAL SUBMISSIONS ONLY/ NO PAPER MAIL
Include cast list with brief character descriptions at the beginning of the script.
A minimum run time of 30 minutes for one-act submissions and 60 to 120ish minutes for
full length plays.
Submissions Should Be:
• Full-length plays (not incomplete drafts or treatments) that stand alone as an
evening of theater with a 60 minute minimum running time or one act plays running at
least 30 minutes.
• Plays that have never had a professional AEA production and have never been
published; (readings and workshops are fine, but include a brief history of any such
previous exploration in your cover letter.)
Submissions Should NOT Be:
• Film or TV Scripts
• Translations
• Children’s Theatre
• One-person shows
• Science Fiction or Medical dramas
What to Expect:
LSU will select up to 3 new plays for concert readings and talkbacks. Plays will be
paired with locally based directors, actors, and stage managers and receive several
hours of rehearsal time. While no guarantees can be made, plays will be chosen with an
eye toward further development and possible production of plays that are successful in
our Festival reading series.
Talkbacks with the playwright, the director and the audience will be held immediately
following each reading. One-on-one discussions about the play with LSU artistic
personnel will be available to playwrights.
Fine Print:
• Submissions are limited to one per author per year.
• Travel to the readings and three nights of housing will be provided for the
selected playwrights in addition to a $1,000.00 SciArts at LSU Playwriting
Prize.
• LSU Theatre does not ask for any rights to these plays at this time, but requests
that any subsequent readings, workshops or productions of our chosen plays
contain acknowledgement that the script was developed at the SciArt Festival of
New Plays at Louisiana State University.
• Playwrights must be at least 18 years of age.